Run, Fat Boy Run

Some people do amazing things.

Carl Bembridge is one of these people as tomorrow he will be running 26 miles between his home in Mickleover and his workplace in Matlock, both in Derbyshire. He's doing it as a personal challenge to himself but also to raise money for the mental health charity Mind. And he's doing it before a day's work at the digital coalface for Derbyshire County Council.

That's right, Carl is a Big Damn Hero and most definitely an honourary member of Team Run Fat Girl Run.

You can read Carl's personal story about what made him, a 238lb man, decide to take on this tremendous effort on his sponsorship page - http://www.justgiving.com/carlbembridge. Of course I would wholeheartedly recommend you also donate a few pennies in support.

Once you've sponsored Carl head over to the Facebook group and take a guess at how long it will take him to complete the route - whoever gets the nearest time (within 15 mins) can win an iPod Touch. How can you resist the chance at getting your hands on something shiny while also getting a warm fuzzy inside from supporting a great cause and a great man?

Go, go sponsor him now.
S C-P x

Race for Life, Kedleston Hall, Derby, 18 July 2010

Another year and another successful negotiation of a Race for Life course for Team Run Fat Girl Run!

Our numbers may have been down to four (me, Kelly Race, Lauren Noakes and Vena Redshaw) but we put our collective lack of training and one of us being pregnant and another one still drunk from the night before aside and headed to Kedleston Hall to face our nemesis: the 10km course.

Perhaps the first mistake was looking at the route map when we arrived. However, whatever fear this instilled the lack of contours on it meant we were still oblivious to exactly what lay in store.

But we took on the hills, the kamikaze sheep, the need to pee in the woods and the uneven surface and managed it with very little moaning in 2 hours 15 minutes. Not bad, not bad at all.

We owe at least a little bit of our success to Take That (no, really). Anyone who knows us knows we like a good old chat about what the boys are up to. Not only did this week's official reunion news provide some food for thought but with five members in the band again we were able to neatly divide the course up and 'do' each member as the kilometres passed.

(If you care we divided it thus: Jason 0-2km - characterised with overexcited waving of arms; Mark 2-4km - surrounded but lots and lots of excited women; Robbie 4-6km - lots of up and downs; Gary 6-8km - started off a bit dull but ended up being very pretty; Howard 8-10km - lung-popping and with speech impediments all round.)

What else were we chatting about? Well, the worrying realisation that all our fingers had swollen up en route; Lauren's fear of sheep; getting a hot pork cob at the end and how much more difficult the terrain was than the flat concrete of Holme Pierrepont.

Anyway, with a tremendous sense of achievement and an even bigger hunger we wobbled across that finish line and can proudly say - we did it!

Between us we've raised about £700 sponsorship so far - feel free to visit any of our pages (listed below) and add a few more pennies to the pot.

Thanks to everyone who has given and shouted out support for us. It definitely made a difference to each of us to know so many people were wishing us well.

Next year? Who knows...

Sponsor us:

• Sarah Lay
• Kelly Race
• Lauren Noakes
• Vena Redshaw

Picture: At the half way mark - Vena, Lauren and Sarah. Photo by Kelly.

Next: Lauren Noakes is the next Fat Girl on a charity mission. She'll be abseiling down Dudley Castle at night in the autumn. More soon...